Archives

Damages Common in Burn Injury Claims

Burn injuries are, arguably, some of the worst types of injuries you can endure. Not only are severe burns likely to cause significant scarring and disfigurement, but the recovery is exceptionally painful due to the cleaning, debridement, and skin grafts that survivors will require.

Below, we review some of the most common damages burn victims are entitled to when pursuing a personal injury claim in California.

Your Financial Losses

Also known as economic damages, your financial losses after a burn are likely to be great, and recovering compensation for them will be critically important.

You may know that you’ll be entitled to compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and property damage you’ve endured, but you will also be able to account for the damage to your earning potential, which could include any salary increases you might miss, contributions to your retirement savings plan, bonuses, and promotions you would have been able to earn if not for the injury.

Non-Economic Damages and Burn Injuries

Non-economic damages are those that have had an impact on your lifestyle and emotional state. As you can imagine, these losses are far more difficult to quantify than your economic damages, but they are equally, if not more, important and should be considered accordingly.

Some examples of non-economic damages include the effects of any disfigurement or scarring you’ve been dealing with, loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, loss of household services, inconvenience, loss of consortium, and pain and suffering.

The Purpose of Punitive Damages

If your burns were intentionally caused or the actions of the liable party were egregious in nature, the court may decide to punish them by awarding you punitive damages. Designed to make an example of the defendant, punitive damages serve to prevent future wrongdoers from making similar mistakes, although the imposition of punitive damages will certainly increase the value of your claim.